Mayor: New Britain Has A Plan For The Berkowitz Building

NEW BRITAIN — — The city plans to negotiate with a developer to renovate the long-abandoned Berkowitz Building as apartments with retail shops on the first floor, Mayor Tim O'Brien said Wednesday.

The Berkowitz Building, a notorious eyesore on the edge of downtown for more than a decade, would be largely rebuilt, but its historic façade fronting Main Street would be saved, O'Brien emphasized.

If the deal works out, the city would be well on the way to reclaiming a number of high-profile derelict buildings, O'Brien said.

"We want to use this as a template going forward," he said.

City officials want to negotiate an agreement with Albemarle Berkowitz LLC to buy and renovate the four-story Berkowitz structure. O'Brien and his staff have met with Albermarle extensively, and are ready to move to a formal contract.

The principals in Albermarle have redevelopment experience that includes renovating Hartford's Richardson Building into a hotel and 55 Elm St. in Hartford into a state office building, according to Phil Sherwood, O'Brien's deputy chief of staff. They have also done large-scale residential projects in York, Pa., and Bay City and Saginaw, Mich.

The proposal doesn't say what Albermarle would pay for the building and surrounding land, and doesn't address what kinds of businesses would rent the first-floor storefronts.

The common council is referring the proposal to a subcommittee for a public hearing. O'Brien said more details will be released then, and that the developer will attend to answer questions from aldermen and residents.

Albermarle would seek tax incentives and a mix of public and private financing, O'Brien said. It might be eligible for transit-oriented development aid because the site is close to the planned terminal of the CTfastrak busway. O'Brien said that location means Albermarle can offer a mix of rental rates in the 31 apartments it plans, but won't pursue subsidized housing.

"We want the actual construction to start sooner rather than later," O'Brien said.

O'Brien's administration took office in 2011 with a pledge to reverse the blight that has struck properties in various neighborhoods across the city. The mayor has said that the Berkowitz project is also important because it would improve the connecting roadway between the popular Polish commercial district on Broad Street and the city's downtown.